The Green-Eyed Monster
by ldyjaydin
Summary: After the fall of the prison, Daryl and Carol have found happiness together. But what happens when a new member of the group sets her eyes on Daryl?
1. Chapter 1

**The Green-Eyed Monster**

By Robin Burton

Here it is, my second attempt at Walking Dead fanfic! This one is actually a more original story than my last one, which just filled in scenes around the show. It takes place after the fall of the Governor and Caryl has already been established as a couple. Hope you like it!

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 1**

Shannon sat alone in the tiny storage closet in the convenience store. She knew she'd been in there for at least a day, possibly more. She was cramped, her legs squished against a vacuum cleaner. Her thirst was becoming almost unbearable and she knew she would have to leave to find water soon.

Outside the door she could hear them moving and groaning, the walking dead. Occasionally one would smack into her door and she'd jump but it never went further than that. They did not know she was in there or else they would have already ripped the door off the hinges. She wondered if David has become one of them yet, if he was lurking just outside the door.

She felt herself starting to cry again but there were no tears left inside her. Dehydration does that to a person. This was the worst it had been since civilization fell. First she'd been with her family at the school, which was not in a populated area so they survived months there with few incidents. When it became overrun, her father and uncle were lost trying to protect them and then it was just her mom and her brother Alex with her after that.

They holed-up in some guy's basement. He'd been hoarding food and water so that lasted them almost three months before her mom got sick. She went in an agonizing way with vomiting, fever and delirium but at least it was fast. When her corpse reanimated, she and David had locked her in the basement, unable to put her down themselves. Since then, they'd been scrounging from houses and stores to stay alive.

The loss of David, her 15-year-old brother, had been the most painful. She cared more about him than anyone else in the world, even before the world went to crap. To watch those monsters just rip him apart right in front of her was soul-crushing. He'd saved her life though. While they had been attacking him, he'd yelled at her to run and she did. They did not see her hide in the closet.

Her thoughts wondered back to her life before. It had been so perfect, all planned out. She was just finishing her junior year in college, majoring in Communications. Not that she ever planned to use that degree. She'd been screwing this upper classman who was in line to inherit his father's multi-million dollar corporation. He might not have been the most good-looking guy but he was head-over-heels in love with her and she could just live as his rich wife. Spend his money and have servants wait on her. But now that was all ruined.

A noise disturbed her thoughts. It sounds like a shout followed by the dropping of a body. With thirst clawing at her throat, she decided it was time to move. If she didn't die at the hands of the monsters, she would surely die of dehydration. Flinging the door open, she stepped out to meet her fate.

One of the dead that was shuffling by immediately took notice and veered in her direction. Crying out in fear, she tried to slam the door closed again but it was blocked by his decaying body. Its rotting arm came up, reaching for her.

Suddenly, an arrow lodged itself in the middle the monsters head. The thing dropped to the floor, unmoving. She saw another one fall in the same manner. Timidly, she stepped out of the closet again.

He came stalking down the aisle towards her, like a vengeful angel. The crossbow was strapped across his back and a large hunting nice held in his large hand. A look of grim determination was set on his face as he plunged the knife through the skull of the nearest dead woman coming at him. She stood there is awe, taking in his muscular arms in the sleeveless shirt and his scruffy hair as he dispatched the last walker. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as he turned his piercing blue eyes towards her.

"Yur comin' with me."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Green-Eyed Monster**

By Robin Burton

I wasn't sure people were going to like Chapter 1 by itself, considering I am introducing a new, not-so-likable character. So here is Chapter 2 with it, getting much more into the background story as well as the start of some Caryl goodness! More to come, I promise. Constructive criticism always welcome.

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to!

**Chapter 2**

The Governor had come for him a day before the deal was supposed to go down. He brought almost the entire town against them with tanks and walkers. The fences were torn down and holes were blown through the prison. It was a bloody mess and both Hershel and Andrea were lost. Rick had half his left ear blown off, Maggie had a huge gash down her leg and Michonne was stabbed in the side. Despite these injuries, the others were able to get them out through the back while the prison became overrun.

They traveled for days, nursing the sick as well as they could. It felt safer when they crossed into Alabama. It was a lot like the previous winter, living in cars, tents or houses one night at a time. When Maggie started showing signs of blood poisoning from her injury and Michonne would not stop ripping her sutures, they knew they had to find a place to stay for longer than just a night or so.

It was a stroke of fate when they ran into Max and Alex. Rick and Glenn were out on a run for antibiotics for Maggie when they'd gotten trapped in an outpatient clinic. The walking dead nurses and doctors had them boxed in and the two other men came to the rescue. Turned out that Max was a physical therapist and his son Alex had just graduated medical school, although had not started his internship. Even better, they were desperate for other people. Both sides benefited from the chance rescue.

Max and Alex had found the perfect location bring them. It was an isolated mansion in the middle of nowhere, Alabama. They had carefully disguised the tiny private road from the main road that led deep into the forest. The place was gorgeous with 6-bedrooms, a library, game room and garden. Not only that but it ran on well water and had solar power that was just enough to run a refrigerator and hot water heater. To be able to take hot water showers was heaven to everyone. Food, supplies and medicine had been stockpiled by Max and Alex.

The other main attraction of the place was the 8-foot high aluminum fence around the entire property. It had a gate that was operated again by solar power. While not perfect if a large herd of walkers rolled through, it seemed a great framework for a more sturdy wall the men planned to build to block any walkers. It was all they seemed to talk about as Max and Alex helped them move in.

Max and Alex had already claimed the master bedroom, which was fair. Rick and Carl took the large guest room, which had ample room for a crib for Judith. The family had twin boys and a little girl. Glenn and Maggie made themselves comfortable in the twin's room, pushing the twin beds together. Beth got the little girl's room, all in pink. Upstairs, the attic was divided in 2 rooms. The little room with the full bed that had belonged to the nanny/maid went to Carol. Next to them, Daryl and Merle shared the pull-out couch in the study. It was not very comfortable and Daryl grumbled about Merle's snoring.

Not one was really sure when exactly the romance between Daryl and Carol started. Glenn swore it had started at the prison but nobody was confident enough to confirm this with them. However, it was completely confirmed to everyone at the same time not too long after moving in the house.

Most of the group was hanging around the living room, trying to keep cool in the summer evening heat. Alex was upstairs, studying medical texts, determined to keep all the knowledge he could for medical treatment. Daryl was on watch on the front porch and Carol had taken his dinner out to him. Carl decided he was bored and wanted to find a book to read in the library but spied something very interesting out the window as he was crossing the front hall. He whispered to his dad, who came over trailed by the entire curious group.

There, on the porch, were Daryl and Carol clutched to each other in a tight embrace, kissing passionately. They were all stunned silent for several moments. Then Maggie, grinning ear to ear, started jumping up and down while clutching Glenn's arm. Beth could not stop the giggles from exploding out of her mouth and Carl soon joined her. Sensing the commotion, Daryl and Carol broke apart, turning to see their audience. Everyone got silent again, realizing they had all been caught. Then a loud cheer broke out from them and the couple both became bright red as they received a round of applause.

Dropping the pretext, Daryl moved his stuff into Carol's room. Now Merle was the one grumbling about the noise coming from next door.

Author's Note: Chapter 3 is coming soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Now that we have gotten our introductions and background out of the way, we can really get into the meat of this story!

**Chapter 3**

The Alabama sun beat hard upon them. After months of back breaking labor, the wall around the house was almost complete. While they might have usually taken a break during the worst of the afternoon heat, no one wanted to bring it up because they were just so close to being done.

"Heads up man. She's headed your way again," Glenn whispered to Daryl, nodding at the woman walking towards them.

Daryl groaned inwardly. It had been almost a month since he's saved Shannon's life and brought her back to the group. He was glad to have her alive and contributing but he just wished she wasn't quite so appreciative to him. Sure, she was very sweet, almost catering to him alone. She was pretty too, in a valley girl kind of way. She had long, blond hair, deep green eyes and a tight body.

Unfortunately, she kind of reminded him of the rebellious girls that would sometimes come into the bar he frequented before the world went to hell. It was a seedy place that mostly served the rough and down-trodden but the town was tiny and when more upscale girls wanted to spit in their parents' faces, that was where they went. He remembered some instances of them trying to flirt with him but with all the giggling, it felt more like they were making fun of him. He'd become much more awkward in those situations, making them laugh even more.

He shook his head, clearing those old bad memories away. While he did not want to hurt her feelings, he needed her to back the hell off.

"Hi Daryl," she said cheerful. "You were working so hard and looked so hot, so I brought you some water." She held out a bottle of water.

He hesitated but then thirst won over and he took the bottle from her. It was cold, having come from the fridge. It felt so good as he gulped down part of the bottle. "Um, thanks." He did not meet her eyes.

"Oh dude, share! Share!" Glenn whined at him. He took one more drink then passed the bottle to Glenn.

Shannon did not even acknowledge Glenn, her eyes on Daryl as he started to turn back to work. Her hand touched his arm and he jerked back a little. She did not seem to notice though.

"If there is _anything_ I can do to help you, just let me know," she purred, practically batting her eyelashes at him. Daryl caught the underlying meaning of her words and shifted subtly away from her, suddenly more uncomfortable.

"No, I'm fine," he mumbled. "Thanks for the water." He turned his back on her, willing to her to get the hint.

She didn't. "Anytime!" she said as she skipped away smiling.

"Dude, she so wants you. What are you going to do?" Glenn whispered as she got out of hearing distance.

"Just shut up."

**XXXXXXX**

Carol stood in the kitchen, chopping up fruit. She figured the guys working so hard in the sun would appreciate a cool afternoon snack. However, her attention was squarely focused on the scene she was seeing out the window involving Daryl and Shannon.

"Hey Carol!" Maggie greeted her happily as she stepped into the kitchen. "Thank you so much for taking my watch last night. You can sleep easy tonight because I am on your watch with Alex tonight."

"It was no problem. I hope Glenn had a nice birthday," Carol smiled, glancing at her briefly before returning to watching out the window.

"Oh, he did. He really enjoyed his…um…birthday present."

Carol giggles, giving her a more significant look before looking back out the window. This caught Maggie's attention.

"What's going on out there?" she asked as she stepped up next to Carol. "Oh," she breathed out, annoyance touching her voice.

"It's nothing," Carol said in a small voice.

"Nothing? That girl follows him around like a dog in heat. Daryl turns into a skittish wild animal around her and it isn't good for him or you. I need to have a little talk with her," Maggie stated.

As they watched Shannon walk away with a smile on her face, Carol put her attention fully on Maggie. "I doubt it would help. She seems very determined. But I trust Daryl and I know her attention will waver soon. I mean, have you noticed have Alex keeps trying to flirt with her. He's a good looking guy and practically a doctor. I'm sure she'll notice soon enough and leave Daryl alone."

"Mmmm, her and Alex. Seems like a good match-up," Maggie agreed, popping a piece of pineapple in her mouth as she started to walk out of the room. Stopping suddenly, she faced Carol, stating, "But if I see her coming on to Daryl one more time, she's getting a verbal beat down from me."

Carol laughed. "Definitely!"

**XXXXXXX**

The men were drifting in, dropping on the sofas in exhaustion after such a long day in the heat. The wall was finally done. They just needed to reinforce the front and back gates, which would require another run to the home improvement supply stores. Rick, Daryl, Merle and Max were planning to make the run the next day.

Carol busied herself in the kitchen preparing dinner for everyone while Beth fed the baby and Maggie was handing out cold water to everyone in the living room. A smile touched her lips as she heard his footsteps coming into the room but she did not turn around.

He came up behind her and for a moment he just stood there, still and silent. Then his hands rested gently on her hips and he eased her back against him. Her breath caught in her throat as he buried his face into her neck, breathing in deeply.

"You smell so good," he whispered. His lips began to slowly kiss the sensitive skin of her neck. A little moan escaped her.

She could not help the next words that came out of her. Her own self-doubts forced them out. "Should I be jealous?"

He stilled against her, realizing that the window over the counter would have given her full view of his work area. She'd seen everything. He backed up slightly and twisted her around to face him. His hands still rested on her hips. His deep blue eyes found her sparkling ones, seeing the uncertainty there.

"Absolutely not."

A little smile touched her lips and her eyes looked down self-consciously at the intense look on his face. He felt the need to kiss her right then, assure her that she had nothing to worry about. It was supposed to be a chaste kiss, just enough to let her know he loved her.

Yet, the kiss deepened quickly as their passion for each other took over. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his body pushed hers into the counter. His tongue traced her mouth then dueled with her tongue. Their heart rates accelerated.

They suddenly broke apart as the back door on the other end of the kitchen opened and closed. Shannon stood there, frozen in place, a blush creeping across her pretty face as she comprehended what she had just seen. It was true that she knew in abstract that Daryl was with Carol, that they shared a bed together. However, they rarely showed displays of affection in public, usually just looks and little touches. This was the most intimate she had ever seen them together and it made her feel sick.

Carol recovered first, forcing herself to smile at the girl. "Hi Shannon! Dinner's almost ready. Would you do me a favor and get Michonne? I think she was out in the garden."

"Sure," Shannon said slowly, almost confused by the request. She didn't move.

Carol shifted her attention back to Daryl. He had a wild look in his eyes, like a cornered animal. His voice was gruff as he said, "I'll see you later." Almost as an afterthought, he leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek. Then he practically stomped out of the room towards the living room, never once acknowledging Shannon.

Carol was startled when the backdoor slammed shut.

**XXXXXXX**

The evening was nice as the heat slowly lowered. The sun was just starting to touch the horizon and everyone was scattered, doing their own things. Beth and Shannon were sitting together on a picnic table in the garden, painting their nails pink. Alex had found a ton of make-up in the master bathroom and he'd offered it to Shannon first. Carl was lurking around the perimeter of the garden.

When Shannon had first come to live with the group, she was sleeping on a sofa in the game room. Yet because of their closeness in age, she and Beth became fast friends. When they'd found an air mattress in the basement, Shannon moved into Beth's room. They would take for hours about everything and nothing, just like girl's used to do before.

Carl was very jealous about this new relationship in Beth's life. They'd been so close before and while they were still close, he had to share her time with Shannon. It did not help that Shannon only saw him as an annoying little kid, not the actual capable young man he'd become at the prison. Even worse, Carl had observed several instances of Shannon trying to flirt with Daryl. Feeling a fierce protectiveness of Carol, he disliked Shannon even more.

Beth held up her hands, admiring the pretty pink polish on her nails. Shannon had just finished painting them for her after Beth had done hers. "It has been so long since I did that. Missed it," Beth commented.

"Yeah, there are so many things I miss too," Shannon said longingly. "Right now I miss my Tempur-Pedic mattress. The air mattress is nice compared to what I have slept on the last few months but nothing compared to that mattress." Shannon glanced slyly at her friend, unable to resist steering the conversation in another direction. "So do you think Daryl sleeps in the nude or does he go to bed fully clothed?"

Beth's eyes narrow at the mention of Daryl. She wasn't stupid and she knew her friend was totally crushing on Daryl. Shannon rarely mentioned Daryl to her but she'd seen some incidents with her own eyes. Even though it was based on hero-worship because Daryl saved her life, Beth did not like how Shannon kept pursuing him.

She answered carefully but truthfully. "Daryl used to sleep fully clothed when we were out on the road. If anything happened, he'd be up in a second, ready to do battle. At the prison, when it was more secure, he wore sweats to bed. I suspect he does that now but I haven't seen him sleeping any time recently."

Shannon giggled evilly, "I bet he would look so hot in those boxer-briefs."

"Stop!" Beth cried angrily. This was too much. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carl watching her from across the yard. "You need to leave Daryl alone. He's with Carol and I know he doesn't like you coming on to him."

"Carol? Have you looked at her? Why would he want to be with her when he could be with me?" Shannon laid all her thoughts out on the table.

"Carol is beautiful! And she's the sweetest, most caring person I have ever known. She and Daryl have been through hell and they belong together. Stop acting like such a slut and trying to break them up!" Beth screamed, running off. Carl gave Shannon a dirty look and ran after Beth.

Shannon sat back, a little stunned. She had not expected her friend to react that way. Sure, Beth had known Carol for a long time and even Shannon had to admit that Carol was always very nice. But didn't Daryl deserve to be with someone as young and beautiful as her? Part of her felt bad for what she was doing but a larger, more selfish part of her was not ready to give up Daryl. She wanted him and she always got what she wanted.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks so much for my reviewers! Gosh it feels so good knowing someone is actually reading this story. I just can't believe how hard I ship this couple. I have _never_ shipped a couple like this, even going back into my early years of Nick/Natalie from Forever Knight. Anyone else feel this way?

Be warned: this chapter has smut!

**Chapter 4**

The full moon shone down upon the landscape as the clock ticked past 1am. It was somewhat cooler than during the day but still muggy. Everyone was sleeping soundly except for Glenn and Michonne, who were on watch.

Glenn was sitting on the second-floor balcony. He had a huge spot light that was currently off but could be switched on immediately if any suspicious sounds alerted him. Michonne was walking around the perimeter, making sure nothing was trying to come through their gates. To keep awake, the two would periodically switch off. Soon they would be relieved by Alex and Maggie. It was decided that anyone going on a run the next day got the night off of watch duty.

Up on the third floor, Daryl and Carol slept peacefully in their little room. They both laid on their left side with Daryl closest to the door. His arm was wrapped around her waist, his hand lying over her stomach. Moonlight filtered in through the small window, brightening the room.

When the door quietly opened and then closed, neither of them moved. They were that deep into sleep after such a hard day. Bare feet crossed the room and stood just next to Daryl's side of the bed.

A small hand reached out and carefully touched Daryl's shoulder.

In an instant he was up. Working on pure reflex, he grabbed the wrist of the hand touching him while his other hand was at the intruder's throat. That person was slammed backwards into the wall before Daryl's thinking mind had even woken up from sleep.

The intruder cried out in surprise and fear. Daryl heard Carol gasp behind him after she had also been ripped out of sleep. She fumbled with the battery-operated lantern on the night table beside the bed. In a second, the light flooded the room.

Daryl blinked, observing the intruder he had plastered against the wall. It was Shannon. A shocked look was on her features, along with a small amount of fear. He took in her make-up painted face, the light pink lacy lingerie and matching thong. A box of condoms was clutched in her hands. He suddenly realized what exactly was going on and he felt rage welling up inside him.

_ How dare she?!_

He wrenched his hand off her throat, grabbing her arm instead. With a growl he bodily forced her to the door. Whipping it open, he roared in anger and shoved her through.

"Get out!"

He slammed the door closed. His body was tense with rage.

They heard Merle stir in the next room. "What's going on?" he called out in a sleep-laden voice.

"Nothin'! Go back to bed!" Daryl yelled back at him.

He heard Carol stirring behind him and he turned to face her. His fists were clenched from his anger and he expected her to be upset or angry as well. Yet, she had the most indescribable look on her face. He was not sure what to make of it when a laugh burst out of her.

"What the hell ya laughing at? A half-naked woman just tried to climb into bed with me!" he asked her incredulously.

The laughter continued and he could see she was trying to stop unsuccessfully. "Sorry," she choked out. She took a deep breath. "Sorry, it's just…did you see the look on her face? And what she was wearing!" The giggles burst out of her again. Her body fell forward onto the bed, burying her reddening face into the blankets as she laughed more.

Daryl could feel the anger and annoyance drain out of him as he watched this woman, his woman. He'd never seen her so overcome with uncontrollable laughing and he could feel his own mouth started to twitch into a smile watching her merriment. His heart ached with love for her that she would take this difficult situation with laughter instead of anger, jealousy or self-doubt.

He climbed in the bed, kneeling in front of her. Her laughter was slowly ebbing away and her breathing coming in hard little hiccups. He rubbed her back as she wiped tears from her eyes. Then she sat up, kneeling on the bed facing him. One more little hiccup escaped her lips and then the room quieted as they looked at each other.

Her eyes were so blue and sparkling. She bit down on her lower lip and he saw that hint of uncertainty cross her face again. He brought his hand up, caressing her soft cheek and she leaned into his touch.

"I love you," he said.

The uncertainty was replaced with a flash of surprise. That, in turn, surprised him. It was true that he had never said the words before, he being a man of few words. But he had assumed that she already knew how he felt, that when they were together, he felt like his heart would practically burst from all his feelings for her that he did not know how to vocalize. Then he remembered that she had been hurt by love before. That maybe she thought he was with her simply out of convenience of proximity and availability. He brought his other hand up, cupping the back of her neck, pulling her into him so his lips were right by her ear. He wanted to make sure she knew he meant it.

"I love you," he whispered. He pulled back to look at her.

He could see her eyes getting wet again and he couldn't take anymore. His lips met hers in a mind-blowing kiss. She opened her mouth readily, allowing his tongue entrance. He explored her lips, teeth and tongue with his and she made a little whimpering sound that sent a pulse of excitement through him. He sucked her lower lip through his teeth, slightly grazing it.

His mouth moved down to her neck, licking and kissing her as his hands went to the hem of her night shirt. He'd been very careful before not to leave any hickeys because he did not want the embarrassment of getting poked fun at by the others. Tonight he didn't care. He wanted her marked as his. She gasped then moaned as his teeth nibbled her sensitive skin followed by his tongue massaging the spot soothingly.

Under her shirt, his rough fingers caressed the warm skin of her back. Growing bold, he grabbed the shirt and pulled it over her head. Even though they'd been together several times before, this was the first time he was taking the lead. Their first time together a couple months ago had been sweet but almost painfully awkward because of their inexperience. He had only had sex a few times, only when drunk and in either a bar's bathroom or a car's backseat. She'd gone years with Ed rarely touching her, and when he did, it was done with only concern for his own pleasure.

His hands came up to cup her small breasts, his thumbs rubbing against the hard peaks. She moaned low again. His arm then snaked around her back, supporting her as he leaned her back to allow his mouth to go to one breast, his hand kneading the other breast. Her head lulled backwards. Then he felt her fingers at the edge of his T-shirt that he slept in with a pair of grey sweat pants.

He laid her down gently on the bed, noting her eyes were heavy with lust and her breathing hard. Quickly he shed his T-shirt and sweatpants, which had been starting to feel exceptionally tight. She was trying to get her pajama shorts off but he stopped her, wanting to do it himself. His nails gently grazed her sides as his finger slipped under the cloth. She wiggled a little and he realized she was ticklish there. He smiled at that information and stored it away for further use later. In one swift move, he pulled the shorts along with her underwear off and threw them across the room.

There she lay across the bed, exposed and open for him. She was the most amazing creature he had ever known. He could feel himself growing harder for want of her. Then her hand touched him, her fingers wrapping around him. As her thumb slid across his tip, he thought he was going to come right there as a wave of intense pleasure rolled through his body.

"Wait," he stopped her. Her hand withdrew, knowing not to push him too far yet.

He took a deep, cleansing breath and leaned down to kiss her full on the mouth. His hand went to her core, playing the move on her that she had just played on him. He delighted in how wet she was for him already. His forefinger rubbed across her pleasure center and she hissed from the contact. As he continued, she moaned louder.

Normally he would try to quiet her sounds. He hated the damn comments he got from Merle the next day. Yet again, tonight he didn't care. In fact, after what had happened with Shannon earlier, he wanted her to be as loud as she wanted. He didn't care who know that they were together.

"Daryl," she whimpered. "I need you…"

Moving his body between her legs, he carefully slid himself into her. He waited a beat before starting his rhythm thrusting into her. He was determined that she orgasm before him, which had not always been the case in their lovemaking. He slammed into her, which he knew she liked. Using his teeth, he bit down hard on his bottom lip to stop himself from coming and was gratified when her moans became cries of pleasure. As she got louder, he could feel her muscles clenching around him and he came hard inside of her.

As they came down from each of their highs, their panting breaths mingled between them. He could feel himself twitching inside her as he experienced little aftershocks of orgasm. She hummed a little noise and then kissed him sweetly. He returned the sweet kiss then pulled out of her. As he rolled onto his back, he pulled her partially on top of him. He put his hand on her back, feeling it rise and fall as she caught her breath. Her ear was on his chest, listening to his heart as it resumed a more normal rate.

"I love you too," she whispered.

**XXXXXXXX**

Author's Note: So this is supposed to be the end. A nice happy ending of connection between our favorite characters. I hate stories that never end. However, I have been mulling over some things that I could potentially continue this story with that may be interesting. Possibly have Shannon redeem herself and, of course, more Caryl. Anyone interested?


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for all the great reviews! I think even if nobody else wanted it, I would have to continue this story. It won't get out of my head and it's torturing me. I have patient charts piling up and all I can do is work on this story. I know the paperwork will bite me in the ass later but it will be worth it to keep writing.

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 5**

Daryl laid on his back with Carol partial sprawled over him. His hand was draped over her back, his fingernails tracing random patterns on her skin. They had just finished an intense lovemaking session after a certain female intruder had interrupted their sleep looking for Daryl.

"So she's pretty young and beautiful," Carol said.

For a moment, he thought her self-doubts were back but then he realized that she was joking with him. He could feel her smiling against his chest.

"Yeah, she's pretty alright. Pretty dumb," he joked right back at her. "I mean, everyone knows we sleep together. How could she think that move would work?"

"Well, I wasn't supposed to be here, remember? I had switched night watch with Maggie the day before. You were supposed to be alone tonight," she reminded him.

"Oh." He paused then said, "Don't matter anyways because I woulda done the exact same thing without you here. I just wouldn't have had as much fun afterwards," he chuckled.

She giggled at that.

A thought popped unexpectedly into his head. "Hey, we kinda forgot to use a condom."

She huffed at that. "I wouldn't worry. I highly doubt I can have any more kids at this point."

He nodded, surprised at the tiny stab of disappointment he felt.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

The morning was quiet but people in the house were starting to stir. Everyone was getting ready for the run today. Merle came out of his room, the study on the third floor, right next to Daryl and Carol's room.

Carol stepped out of her room at the same time. "Good morning, Merle," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, darlin'." He noticed the rather obvious hickey on the side of her neck.

"I'm going to get breakfast started. See ya down there," she said as she headed down the stairs.

Merle watched her go around the corner then stepped into their bedroom. Daryl was just putting his boots on.

"What the hell happened last night? I heard screaming, doors slamming then…um, different screaming," he interrogated Daryl.

Daryl gave him a look. "That Shannon girl came up here lookin' for a booty call with me. I had to throw her ass out of the room. Then I had the best sex I've ever had in my entire life," he stated with a cocky grin.

Merle's eyebrows went up. He was taken aback. His baby brother just said that? The guy who, at the mention of sex, would turn red and scamper away into the forest?

Focusing on the first part of his statement instead, Merle asked, "What did she think was going to happen? That you'd fuck her with Carol laying right there?"

"Carol wasn't supposed to be here because she had switched her watch with Maggie the night before." Daryl shrugged. "Wouldn't have made any difference since I wouldn't have fucked her skinny ass anyway." He slung his crossbow across his back.

"Yeah, you don't want to screw up that good thing ya got going with Carol."

"Hell no," Daryl said as the two headed out of the room.

Merle couldn't help to look at his baby brother a little differently. He had become so confident and much less skittish. He knew that there was a time he would not have liked that. He would not have liked the relationship his brother had with Carol. But now he just felt pride for the man his brother was becoming. The feeling felt good.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

After breakfast, everyone scattered to finish the final preparations for the run into town. Shannon was headed towards the stairs when Daryl cornered her.

"We need to talk," he stated simply then walked around to the other side of the house. He didn't want to do this in front of the others.

Shannon followed him meekly, her stomach turning in knots. After the debacle of last night, she knew this conversation was not going to be good. Her instincts about how to handle him had been completely wrong and she knew she deserved what was coming.

Daryl turned around, his face pure anger. "How dare you disrespect Carol like that!" He got into her face and she looked down at the ground, ashamed. "She may be nobody to you but she's important to me. We may not be married but she is like my wife. Don't you _ever_ do something like that again!" he yelled at her. Then, having said his peace, he started walking away.

"D- Daryl?" she called after him. He stopped and stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "I'm really sorry. What I did was awful. Please forgive me," she said honestly.

He eyed her for a second then said, "You take that apology to Carol and we'll see about forgiveness."

With that, he stomped off towards the front yard.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Everyone gathered together in the front yard to see off those going on the run. It had become something of a tradition because you never knew who might not come back. Anyone who ventured into the world risked their lives and all of them knew it.

Rick stood by Carl, who was holding on to little Judith. She was getting the hang of walking and kept trying to run away. She was also talking, at least in a babbling baby kind of way. However, her favorite word by far was "dada". Many of them had been concerned that Rick was not really bonding well with her, especially considering the question of her paternity. Yet, as soon as she started saying "dada" to only him and holding her arms for him, he only looked at her with fatherly love now. Rick gathered up both his children in his arms, murmuring that they be good while he was gone.

Max and Alex initially tried the manly handshake but then Max could not let go, pulling his son into a mighty bear hug. Alex laughed and groaned, letting his father have his own way.

Merle waited in the truck, watching Daryl with Carol. She gave him a quick, chaste kiss and told him to "Be Safe." Daryl took her hand and brought it to his lips then released her to get into the truck. Merle rolled his eyes at Daryl but he wasn't actually annoyed, just messing with him.

Everyone left waved as the truck and the SUV rolled out through the gate.

Carol made her way back to the kitchen to clean up from breakfast and then get some snacks together for Judith. Beth and Carl were taking her into the gardens for the day. Then she and Maggie had an appointment with the ever growing pile of laundry. A small voice behind her made her stop.

"Carol?" It was Shannon. "I want to apologize for what happened last night. I was a total slut and it was horrible the way I went after your man that way. Please, please forgive me!" she cried.

Carol looked at her for a moment and then smiled brightly. "Of course I'll forgive you. That was very brave of you to come to me like this and I appreciate it."

Shannon smiled. She felt like this was all going to blow over.

"But Daryl is off-limits now." Carol was no longer smiling.

Shannon blinked, her smile faltering. "What?"

"You heard me. Unless someone tells you to do it or it is necessary for the survival of this household, you are not to talk to, flirt with or take things to Daryl. He is off-limits to you now. You are on probation and I am your probation officer. I alone will let you know when you are off probation. Do you understand?"

Shannon blinked again. She'd never heard Carol talk like this, so forcefully. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

Carol's smile returned and her tone lightened. "Good! Now, I will give you some information that might make you happy. You've caught the interest of another member of this group. No, I'm not telling who. You've got to figure that out for yourself. Now, please take these snacks out to Beth and Carl for Judith. Thanks."

Shannon grabbed the little baggies and walked out the back door, still seemingly confused about the whole last part of the conversation.

Maggie walked into the kitchen and stood in front of Carol. It was so obvious that she was trying hard to suppress a smile. She'd heard everything. Carol gave her a little smile. Maggie wrapped her arms around the woman, just so proud of her.


	6. Chapter 6

Wow! That last episode was insane! I was crying by the end. Of course, now my fanfic is completely non-canon but this is the plight of fanfic. I know this chapter is not very Caryl but I promise it is coming. I decided it is not a good idea to write smut at work. Stay tuned and you won't be disappointed!

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 6**

They pulled up into the parking lot of the home improvement store, Rick and Max in the SUV and Daryl and Merle in the flat-bed truck. There were no walkers in the immediate area, although they could see a few stragglers off in the distance. Luckily, they didn't seem to have noticed the movement yet.

Max and Merle moved up ahead, cautiously entering the building. Even though they had previously cleared it of walkers, it had not been fully secured and there was no way to know if more walkers had gotten in. Rick laid a hand on Daryl's shoulder, holding him back a moment.

"I heard some commotion upstairs last night. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, there was a little misunderstandin' but it's fine now."

"Anything you need me to do? Anyone you need me to talk with?" Rick still looked somewhat concerned.

Daryl looked him in the eye. "Nah, it's all taken care of. Thanks, man."

"Well, we better get in there and make sure those two don't get themselves in trouble." The two men moved into the store.

Merle was just pulling his arm knife out of a rotting female walker when they came in. Another walker lay at Max's feet, a hole through the forehead.

"Looks like there is probably a breach where the walkers are getting in because this place was cleared last time we were here," Max commented.

"That means we have to stay extra cautious everyone. The plywood to cover the gates is our main priority. I want to get enough to cover both gates along with extra for any replacements needed in the future. We have no idea how long we'll be there and I want to make it last. After that, anything else we get is a bonus. Watch your backs," Rick said.

Working in groups of two, Rick and Max together and Daryl and Merle together, they were able to load up the flat-bed with a large quantity of plywood. Deciding there was a chance to make it last longer, they also stocked up cans of wood sealer to resist outdoor weather.

"We've still got the room in the SUV. What else do we need?" Rick asked.

"We could use more gardening supplies. And it would be great if we could get more seeds for fruits or veggies. While the garden is really nice with all the flowers, I think it would be better if we converted a large portion of it into a more practical purpose," Max commented as he pointed towards the gardening department.

"Good idea." The men made their way into the area. It had been like a greenhouse but several of the glass panes had been broken. Rain had been able to fall and things were growing wildly after not having been tended for a year.

Daryl stopped at two large pots, containing trees that were about waist high. The pots were cracked from the roots outgrowing them but the trees appeared to be thriving. "Hey, these are peach trees, already planted and growing. How nice would it be to have fresh peaches."

"Mmm, mmm. I like my baby brother's thinking," Merle agreed. "I bet we could fit these in the SUV and transplant them."

Rick nodded and the brothers began to carefully move the trees out to the car.

"I'm going to grab a bag full of those seeds over there. Do you want to start gathering up some more gardening tools?" Rick asked Max as he headed across the room to the seed display.

Max nodded and started making a pile of shovels, hedge clippers and spades. "I think we could fit a ladder in the SUV. The one they have at the house is kinda bent and I don't trust it." Rick nodded as he threw more seed packets in the bag.

As he went around to the other aisle, a huge ugly walker came through a broken open doorway across from him. He was wearing a gore-covered McDonald's uniform and must have sauntered over from the fast food place across the parking lot. He immediately reached for Max.

Max yelped, jumping backwards. He hit the ladder display hard. His shoulder jostled the ladder that had been hung up on display above the stack of readily available ladders. Unfortunately, the stock guy who had hung it up back in the days of life had been severely sleep deprived after drinking all night at a party before his shift. He had not adequately secured the ladder and it had been hanging precariously.

As the walker shambled at him, the ladder above crashed down upon Max's head. By then, Rick was in the aisle, driving his knife through the McDonald's walker's skull.

"Max!" Rick called out frantically. Another walker came through the doorway and Rick had to step over Max's prone form to dispatch it.

"What happened?" Daryl and Merle ran into the room, observing Max knocked unconscious on the floor and Rick killing another walker. Merle ran over, quickly dispatching another rotting walker as it shuffled in. That seemed to be the last one for the moment.

"Max?" Rick touched his face, blood running down through his hair on to his forehead. He was unconscious but breathing. They could see a lump around forming on his head. "Max," Rick said again, gently tapping his cheek, trying to rouse the man. It didn't work.

"We've got to get him out of here," Daryl whispered, not wanting to attract more walkers through the door.

"Help me," Rick said. He got under Max's shoulders and Daryl took his feet. Merle hovered protectively around them as they carried Max to the SUV. Rick had grabbed the bag of seeds but the garden tools would need to be left behind. Max was laid out on the back seat with Rick supporting his head. Daryl drove the SUV and Merle drove the truck.

"Damn it," Rick muttered as the cars speed back towards their home.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

There was a flurry of activity when the men arrived back at the house with a severely injured Max. He had come around once during the drive, asking for Alex confusedly. Then he'd passed back out again.

Alex took the situation much better than Rick expected. Despite the fact he had never been out in practice, his medical knowledge was invaluable and his demeanor professional. Max definitely had a concussion but without any advanced imaging, like CT scan or MRI, it was impossible to know if there was anything more serious going in his head.

Max woke up again as they were moving him to his bed upstairs. He seemed less confused and Alex took it as a good sign. Once the wound was cleaned, sutured and bandaged, Max closed his eyes, resting but not unconscious. He had an ice pack over his forehead. Everyone but Alex and Carol left to allow them space to work and unload the vehicles.

"Tell me what you need," Carol said to Alex. "I have a little medical knowledge from Herschel. I've also been put in the hospital myself for similar injuries before so I kind of know the process." She tried not to look uncomfortable as she said it but Alex caught it. He'd been told what Carol's domestic life had been like before.

"Unfortunately, only time will tell. I am going to have to keep waking him through the night." Alex looked sad.

Carol laid her hand on his arm. "We are all going to hope for the best. Just remember that this is so much better than if he'd gotten bit." Alex nodded, completely agreeing with her. "I am going to start dinner. I'll make sure to send some up for you two. If you need anything, just yell and I'll be up ASAP." She smiled at him reassuringly.

Carol, Beth and Maggie were working in the kitchen on dinner while everyone else finished unloading the new plywood and peach trees. Rick and Carl went upstairs to support Alex. Shannon wondered into the kitchen to see if there was anything she could help with.

"Yes, Shannon. I definitely have a job for you," Carol laid out two plates of squirrel meat with carrots and instant mashed potatoes on a tray. "Can you please take these up to Alex and Max?"

"Sure," Shannon said as she grabbed up the tray. She was glad to have something to do, to be contributing. It was weird how she was noticing more about the goings-on now that her brain was not allowed to focus on Daryl.

She knocked on the half open door. "Dinner," she said, trying to keep her voice upbeat but not overly cheerful. Rick and Carl gave their best wishes and then moved out of the room.

Max had his eyes closed again and Alex was sitting by his bed. He smiled at her as she brought the food over. Once putting down the tray, she put her hand on Alex's shoulder.

"He's going to be fine, I just know it," she told him. He looked up at her, his hand covering her own.

"Thank you," he whispered emotionally.

Shannon looked down at him, actually really seeing him for the first time. His sandy blonde hair was ruffled and his eyes had circles under them from the recent stress but he was beautiful. How had she not seen him before? His expression was intense, as if he was trying to convey a message.

Shannon suddenly knew exactly who Carol had been talking about earlier.


	7. Chapter 7

Warning: SMUT

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 7**

Daryl was having an excellent day. The weather was perfect. A cold front had moved in, bringing the heat down to a bearable level. The sun was shining and white, fluffy clouds moved across the bright blue sky. He'd dropped a large doe during his hunt that morning and everyone was excited about having venison. While he was out there, he'd spotted a group of wild turkeys. He was looking forward to the challenge of getting a turkey dinner on the table.

Plus, Shannon had been off his back for over a week now. Ever since Max's injury, she had basically become Alex's assistant. Max was almost back to normal, only getting rare headaches at this point. However, Alex was playing it very cautious, not letting him do anything strenuous for another week. The younger man seemed much happier to have her constant attention than Daryl had been. He was so much more comfortable without always having to try to avoid her.

Now in the mid-afternoon, he was looking for Carol. They had both been so busy with activities centered around the household that he felt like for the last several days, he only got to see her as they were going to bed, both to exhausted for much else than sleep. Maggie had secretly told him about the confrontation she'd had with Shannon. He'd been so proud of her for standing up for herself, and for him too.

As he walked into the kitchen, Lil Asskicker came running around the corner, a mischievous smile pasted on her face. He could not resist scooping her up in his arms as she tried to dodge him.

"What are ya runnin' from?" he asked her as he tickled her sides. She screamed out laughing. Beth came jogging up, giving Judith an exasperated look.

"Fly!" she cried at Daryl, holding out her arms. Daryl spun her around in a circle, which she loved. He spun her around a couple more times then set her back on the ground. She moved away unsteadily then sat down.

"Hope that slows her down for you," he said to Beth. She smiled at him thankfully. "Have you seen Carol?"

Beth looked around the kitchen and not seeing Carol said, "She's probably in the basement. She told me that there was a ton of stuff in the storage area and she wanted to go through it." Grabbing Judith's hand before she ran off again, Beth led her outside.

Daryl went down into the basement. The place was huge, running the entire length of the mansion. It had been divided into 3 different rooms. The largest room was a fully finished media room with a huge, flatscreen TV. There were three rows of comfy sofas, each equipped with reclining ability. Along the back wall were hundreds of DVDs from all different genres. On rare occasion, they would sacrifice some of the solar power to watch a movie as a group.

The smallest room was a home gym, which would probably be put to more use when the weather turned cold. The room furthest back was a large storage area and that was where he found Carol. The place was almost completely filled with boxes and Carol was kneeling on the floor with a bright lantern, going through one of the boxes. It appeared to have lots of toys in it, mostly for boys.

"Hey," he said as he came through the door.

She looked up at him with her beautiful blue eyes and smiled happily at him. "I think these people were closet hoarders. It doesn't look like they got rid of anything they weren't using. There must be at least 5 boxes filled with the twin boy's baby clothes." She pushed the current box off to the side, got on her hands and knees and crawled a foot or so away to grab the next box closest to her.

Daryl could not stop staring at her ass as she swayed a little trying to pull the box out. Her back was so long and graceful. He felt a wave of desire pass through him and he was surprised that he was starting to get hard just watching her.

He suddenly realized she was still talking and he'd completely missed what she said, "…goes all the way back into another crawl space, all filled with boxes. Who knows what we might find back there." She sat back down with the new box next to her and looked up at him.

His emotions must have been on his face because a flicker of surprise flashed across her features. Sometimes he got the feeling that she didn't understand why he found her so desirable. He contributed that to her asshole dead husband, who surely told her the opposite. He worked hard to let her know just how amazingly hot he found her.

Then she smiled at him again, a little more shy than before. He closed the distance between them, pulling her up into his arms and kissing her roughly. She responded in kind, her fingers running through his hair. A little whimper escaped her lips as his tongue met hers.

"I want you," he growled.

She stepped back. "Here?"

"Do you think we can get all the way up to our room without getting caught?" he asked her.

She looked conflicted, biting her bottom lip. Just doing that drove him even crazier. Then she seemed to come to a decision, shutting the door and clicking the lock into place. "We may have to make this quick."

He was on her in a second, his lips crushed against hers. His hands went to her breasts, kneading them roughly but he did not take off her shirt. He backed her up until she hit a table along the side wall. He sat her on the table, detaching himself from her briefly. Quickly, he wiped her shoes off and undid her jeans. Then he did something she was not expecting. He guided her off the table and turned her around.

"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice hoarse with lust. Carol nodded. She'd never had sex from behind. Even in their early years of marriage, Ed had never been adventurous with positions and later, he barely touched her anyway. Carol really liked this new side of Daryl, him taking charge and losing a lot of his awkwardness.

She leaned against the table as he slid her pants and underwear off her ass and down her legs. She helped him by stepping out of them. Then she heard him undoing his pants and them hitting the floor.

Gently he pushed her down to the table and she spread her legs for him. It took him a minute to find her center, not used to this position. He entered her slowly but she gasped loudly.

The angle was amazing! She couldn't believe how good he felt inside her like this. Then he started moving slowly and it felt even better. She moaned softly, her face already turning red from it. His one hand was on her back and the other against the table. His speed picked up as he became more confident with his movements. She could already feel herself starting to orgasm.

He pulled her up slightly, his hand covering her mouth as her cries got louder. It would not have been good if anyone directly above them heard and came looking for them. Yet, he did not stop, his thrusting becoming frantic as she came. Then he groaned loudly, spilling his seed hard into her.

The hand over her mouth came off, her hot breath against his palm and his hot breath against her shoulder. He pulled out of her but his arms went around her, pulling her into a gentle hug. His lips delicately kissed her neck.

"That was incredible," she whispered, still overcome.

Then they heard footsteps above them and it reminded them exactly where they were and what time it was. They hurriedly pulled their pants back on.

Again, a thought about the fact that they did not use a condom went through Daryl's head. But then he remembered her earlier words and pushed the thought away.

Just as Carol stood up from tying her shoes, they heard Glenn's voice as he came down the stairs. Daryl unlocked the door, pulling it open quickly before Glenn could see that it had been shut.

"Down here!" he called.

"Hey guys! Michonne is upstairs trying to start dinner but I think she really needs help, Carol. Oh my god, is that a Wolverine onesie! How adorable!" he cried looking at the box of baby boy clothes.

Carol and Daryl just smiled at each other as they headed upstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry this chapter took a little longer. I knew that paperwork was going to catch up with me. Plus my Dad thought he was having a heart attack so I spent a good portion of the night at the ER. He's fine though! Hope you all like where this story goes!

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 8**

Merle strolled along the back of the property, dragging his stump occasionally against the wall. It was late morning and the sun was out but he could see dark clouds off towards the south. As they headed into fall, they could feel a hint of coolness in the breeze now. It promised colder weather to come.

He was on watch duty, his current job patrolling the wall and making sure the gates were secure. Glenn was currently up on the balcony as look-out and soon they would trade off. He, Glenn and Maggie had come to an understanding, deciding it was better for the good of all to work together. It did not hurt that Merle had risked his life to pull Maggie out of the line of fire during the Governor's attack on the prison.

A noise broke his thoughts and he looked up to see Carol flying out the back door. She fell to her knees by the bushes and proceeded to vomit up her breakfast. A tremble shook her entire frame.

Merle started to move towards her, make sure she was alright. However, before he'd gotten 2 steps, she stood back up, wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and went back inside. Merle pondered the incident for a second and then dismissed it from his mind. It was time for him to switch with Glenn anyway.

About 2 hours later, Merle was back to walking the perimeter, taking his last turn around the place before he'd be relieved by Michonne and Shannon. He was just checking the back gate when Daryl came back from his hunting trip.

"Nice haul," he motioned to Daryl's kills. There were several squirrels, a rabbit and even a quail hanging from his hip.

Daryl grunted a thanks. "Still can't find those damn turkeys again," he muttered.

Merle nodded, his mind jumping to the thought of a nice, roasted turkey. Then it switched over to a different subject.

"Hey, is Carol alright? I saw her puking up her breakfast."

"Yeah, she just thinks she ate something bad for breakfast. She seemed fine by last night though."

"Last night? No, I saw her puking her guts out this morning, just a couple hours ago."

"Huh," Daryl eyed him.  
"Huh," Merle eyed him right back.

Daryl's mind flashed to the two encounters they'd had that distinctly lacked a use of condoms. He planned to bring it up that night.

Unfortunately, later that night he completely forgot to ask her anything about the matter. All rational thought left his brain as the blood headed southward when she climbed on top of him, her mouth hot and wet on his.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carol stumbled out the back door again, making it to the bushes before her entire breakfast vacated her stomach. It had been 3 days since the last episode and she was very disappointed that whatever was causing this had not yet resolved.

_Crap_, she thought as she saw Daryl headed her way. She did not want him to see this, didn't want him worrying over nothing. Other than a few vomiting episodes, she felt fine. Then she heaved again.

He squatted down besides her, his hand running soothingly over her back as she finished.

"Ya okay?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, I think I'm finished," she said, wiping a few tears out of her eyes.

"That's the third time this week," he commented.

_Damn it, Merle! He had seen her that last time and of course he would tell Daryl, _she thought bitterly.

"It's just a stomach bug," she reassured him. "I thought I kicked it but it must still be holding on. I feel fine otherwise so don't worry."

His voice dropped in volume, "You think it might be morning sickness? Maybe yur pregnant?"

She felt a crazy laugh bubbling up inside her at such a ridiculous thought but she held it in.

"No," she stated firmly. "It's just a stomach bug." With that, she walked back inside, effectively ending that conversation.

"Uh-huh," he grunted himself, not convinced.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carol was almost through her whole first trimester before she would even admit to herself that she was pregnant. She just could not believe such a thing could happen. Plus, she used so many different excuses to reinforce her own denial.

She wasn't getting her period because she was old and starting to go into menopause. She was always hungry and eating everything in sight because it was getting close to winter and she was going into a hibernation phase. Never mind that she'd never done that before. Her breasts and hips were getting larger because she was gaining weight from eating more. In addition, the last time she'd thrown up had been when Daryl caught her so she couldn't have had that little morning sickness. Again, never mind the fact that she's hardly had any morning sickness at all when she'd been pregnant with Sophia.

What was interesting was that while Carol continually reinforced her own denial about her situation, those around her became convinced about it. Without most other sources of entertainment, the gossip became quite animated when neither Daryl nor Carol was nearby. Everyone kept waiting for an announcement.

It was surprising when it was actually Michonne who organized the betting pool and collected entries for the pot. Apparently, she had a little bit of a gambler's streak in her. The pool asked 2 questions: 'Is Carol pregnant?' and 'If so, when will she announce it?' Not one person listed 'no' as an answer to the first question.

Everyone other than Daryl and Carol participated except for Merle, Shannon and Alex. Even Carl wanted in on the action. At first Rick was reluctant but Carl was over thirteen years old now and knew exactly what was going on. He did not want to miss out on the fun, also wanting his chance at some of the juicy prizes in the pot.

Glenn, Maggie and Beth teamed up, contributing the fixings for smores: a Hershey bar, package of marshmallows and a package of graham crackers. They been saving to use them at a planned cookout to end the summer next week but were hoping that whoever won would share.

Rick added a 3-pack of Reese's peanut butter cups. Carl put in a homemade fishing lure. The boy had actually become quite the fisherman at the lake nearby, bringing home dinner on more than one occasional when Daryl or Rick would take him over there. Max gave a note for a free, 1 hour massage, putting his physical therapy training back into use. Michonne had a full, 12oz bottle of cucumber melon body lotion.

Then the last entry showed up from a secret contributor. Michonne had been sleeping in a tent in the garden through the summer. She was planning on moving inside, most likely taking one of the comfortable sofas in the media room in the basement once the weather turned wintery. One morning she woke up and found it as she was leaving her tent.

It was a switchblade knife, the bladed sharpened nicely. The answers were written on a scrap of paper held down by the knife. It said, 'Yes'. She was surprised that the date listed for when Carol would announce it was almost 2 weeks later than the previously entered date.

Even more surprising was that she was pretty sure the handwriting was Daryl's.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks so much for the nice reviews on the last chapter! I hope you all liked the twist with the pregnancy. I have read a bunch of great pregnant Carol fics but I think this may be the first where Daryl figures it out first. What do you think about that? He is a really observant guy. Not sure I love how this chapter came out though.

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 9**

Carol screamed in her sleep.

She had finally consciously accepted that she was pregnant yesterday but hadn't spoken about it to anyone, even Daryl. In her nightmare, the images were fuzzy and disjointed. At first she was so happy, her abdomen swollen in late pregnancy. Daryl was hugging her from behind, his hand spread on her stomach. His face looked calm and peaceful.

Then his expression changed, becoming angry. He stepped back, away from her. She was alone. Then a stab of pain hit her. In the disoriented quality of a dream, she could see that the baby inside her was dead. It was dead and turning. She screamed as it began clawing and biting its way out of her.

She started thrashing as she screamed, jolting Daryl awake beside her. He grabbed her, pinning her arms down with his.

"Carol! Wake up!" he called, trying to penetrate her nightmare haze. She stilled against him but her body continued to tremble fiercely. He held her for several minutes until she calmed down.

"You wanna talk about it?" he whispered to her.

She shook her head. "We should just go back to sleep. I know everyone's got a big day planned tomorrow with that cookout." She rolled away from him.

She jumped a little when she felt him touch her back, his nails scratching her through her nightshirt. He knew she liked that.

"Yur never gonna get back to sleep being so tense," he said and she relaxed after a couple minutes.

"I'm pregnant."

The back scratching stopped for a second and then resumed. "I know."

She turned over again, facing him. "I know you know," she huffed at him.

They both knew it was true. Ever since he'd caught her with the morning sickness, his behavior had changed subtly towards her. He never put any pressure on her to admit that she was pregnant but he still became more protective. He checked in on her more often during the day. He'd also been hunting much more, making sure she had plenty of protein to eat. Luckily, with her increased appetite, she didn't fight him on eating more. Finally, he'd completely dropped using condoms. She'd initially figured he just ran out but then once she'd accepted it, she knew that he knew.

He'd even enlisted Merle's help with the hunting. It wasn't very easy for Merle being one-handed but he brought in a fair amount of rabbits and squirrels. His big brother was uncharacteristically overjoyed at the thought of a baby Dixon and Daryl was a little concerned he's let it slip to Carol that he knew.

He also knew all about the betting pool and prizes in the pot. It had been spilled by Carl one day when Daryl had taken him fishing. He had to admit that the kid had a talent with fishing. When Carl accidently made a comment about Carol expecting, Daryl had intimidated the information out of him. He'd left his betting slip at Michonne's tent that night.

"Bout time," he mumbled then grinned at her.

"I'm scared," she said as she entwined her fingers through his. "Babies are such a burden and I can't stop thinking about what happened to Lori-"

"Stop," he said firmly to her. He felt his blood run cold at the mention of Lori but he made sure the feeling did not touch his face. "Yur thinkin too much and we'll deal with whatever happens."

"I was afraid you'd be mad and leave me if something like this happened. It's my fault; I just wasn't careful enough," she said in a small voice, looking away from him.

"What are ya talkin about? I was the one that jumped you in the basement. I don't care about any of that. I only care about you. I can't believe you'd even think I would leave ya," he said, getting up. He searched for something in his backpack, pulling out a black box. "I wasn't quite sure when to give you this but now seems like a good time, since you finally woke up to the fact that yur havin' my baby."

She gasped as he opened the box, showing her the engagement ring with a beautiful, pear-shaped diamond in white gold. "Ya know I am not a wedding kind of guy but I want everyone to know we're together. What do ya think? Will you be mine?" he asked, taking the ring out of the box.

She was so surprised, not having expected anything like this. Tears started running down her face.

"Stop crying and give me an answer," he growled at her, suddenly getting self-conscious.

"Yes, of course!" she cried as he slipped the ring on. She frowned. "I have no ring for you."

"Got it covered," he assured her, pulling out a plain white gold band and slipping it on his own finger.

"I can't believe this has happened," she said sheepishly. "You blow my mind."

He chuckled, "I know."

"You know everything," she laughed, leaning in to kiss him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next morning, Daryl snuck out of bed and headed down to the kitchen. He let Carol sleep, knowing she'd had quite a night between her nightmares and his proposal.

Everyone in the house was gathered in the kitchen except for Rick and Merle, who were on watch. Alex had Shannon sitting on his lap, whispering into her ear as she giggled. Daryl felt a little disgusted watching them but a lot relieved that he totally avoided that. Maggie was braiding Beth's hair while Max and Glenn ate cereal. Carl was trying to feed Judith dry cereal but she was more interested in throwing it on the ground. Michonne was reading one of the books from the library while chewing on a piece of jerky.

Daryl strolled in, walked right over to Michonne and said, "Today's the day. I win." Every person in the kitchen stopped what they were doing, staring at him openly, even Judith.

Michonne looked up at his eyes, flicked down to the ring on his finger and back up to his eyes. She nodded.

Daryl turned away smiling, ignoring everyone as he grabbed a bowl of cereal. Sitting down at the table, he stated between bites, "I can't wait to eat those Reese's peanut butter cups. Those things are so fucking good."

Other than him chewing, you could hear a pin drop in that kitchen. Glenn's mouth was literally hanging open. Only Michonne looked composed. Then every head turned towards the entrance as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Carol stopped short at the eerie scene that greeted her. There was no noise and every person was just staring at her. She took a small step back, feeling like she was in a horror movie.

"You all know, don't you?" she asked accusingly.

There was still nothing for a moment and then all hell broke loose. Maggie rushed over, enveloping her in a big hug. "Baby!" she cried.

Everyone else came over and hugged her or patted her on the back in congratulations. Alex mentioned that he would like to examine her when she felt ready. Only Daryl and Michonne stayed off to the side. He just looked at her and said, "Pay up."


	10. Chapter 10

Tonight is the night! The third season finale. As much as I hope for some Caryl action (even just a hand hold!), I have a strong suspicion nothing is going to happen on that front. We'll have to wait all the way until October to see if anything will happen. Gee, I really hope to be proven wrong.

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 10**

The moon was three-quarters full, giving the land a shadowy quality as the clock clicked towards midnight. Winter was fighting a losing battle as spring began making its appearance in Alabama. However, the night air was still clear and cold.

Carol sat up on the balcony for her night watch duty. Even though her abdomen was very swollen as she entered her third trimester of pregnancy, she refused to give up the responsibility of watch duty. Daryl had tried arguing with both her and Rick about it, especially since she could no longer walk the perimeter. He'd been very pissed off when Merle had volunteered to take the perimeter walk for the entirety of the watch session whenever it was her turn. Merle had smiled the whole time Daryl was raging about it but in the end, Daryl had to accept the inevitable. Besides, Merle much preferred walking the line than sitting on the balcony.

There was also a new rule that no couples were allowed to be together during watch. It had come when Alex was on watch and Shannon came to keep him company. They'd been involved in a full-on make-out session and had missed it when a few walkers had come knocking on the gate.

So Daryl had gotten her all situated that night before he left to grab a few hours of sleep. She felt like she was in a cocoon of blankets sitting with her feet propped up, a perfect view of the front gate visible below. He'd even found these heat packs on the last run to a sporting goods store that activated just by cracking them. There were about 6 of them spaced over her body. She knew he was just worried about her and the baby but it was starting to get a little overbearing. In fact, she was sure the only reason he wasn't watching her from the stairs was because she was in very easy reach of Rick's bedroom in case of the slightest issue. Daryl trusted Rick.

She took a sip from the thermos of hot chocolate he'd left her when she saw Merle come around the corner of the house. She waved down at him and he gave her the thumbs up. Her head turned back to the landscape when she saw the movement at the forest's edge in front of the house.

At first she could only see a few walkers dragging their ruined bodies across the clearing. Then more and more of them poured out of the trees. Carol whispered softly but anxiously to Merle as he was crossing to the other side of the house, "We got a herd coming!"

"Shit," he muttered, heading into the house. There was an entire plan of action designed around just this situation. They'd even done some drills to make sure everyone would be in the right place and ready for anything.

Carol unwrapped herself from all the blankets and rushed into the house. First she burst into Rick and Carl's room and then turning across the hall to Max and Alex's room. All she had to do was say "Herd" to get them all scrambling out of bed. Carl ducked out of his room to awaken everyone else. Carol stepped back onto the balcony for another look.

There must have been hundreds of them. The hope was that with the wall and the plywood over the gates, any walkers would just move around the house without realizing there was life contained inside. After the last incident where something had attracted them to the gate, they had set up several rows of tires to make it less appealing.

Carol went back inside, heading towards the stairs to take her to the basement. That was where she was supposed to be.

Shannon came out of her room and saw Carol. One of her jobs was to make sure everyone was awake and moving. If she was on watch, that job fell to Beth.

Shannon smiled at her. "I was just heading up to wake Daryl. I'll meet you down in the basement," she said. She knew Carol wanted to go get Daryl herself but in her condition, she was slow on the stairs and time could not be wasted.

"Thanks," Carol said sincerely.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Shannon knocked quietly on the door at the top of the stairs. She rarely ever went up to the third floor since her bad decision so many months ago. She really did not like the thought of waking up a sleeping Daryl after her last encounter. She thought she heard a small sound behind the door.

Opening it, she saw that Daryl was still asleep in bed. Not wanting to get near him but also not wanting to make too much noise that a passing walker might hear, she hissed his name, "Daryl!"

He sat up and saw her in the doorway. "Not again," he growled.

She rolled her eyes at him, understanding his reference. "Herd."

He instantly was up. "Where's Carol?" he asked as he pulled on his boots, not bothering to change out of his night sweat clothes.

"She's headed down to the basement. I'm sure Merle is with her by now."

Daryl pulled the crossbow strap across him. He very much wanted to go down to the basement to make sure Carol was okay but that was not part of the plan.

As if reading his mind, Shannon said, "I'm headed down there right now. I will make sure she is okay." He nodded his thanks to her as they both moved quickly down the stairs.

The plan was that Carol, Beth, Maggie, Shannon, Alex, Carl, Judith and Merle would be down in the basement. Rick, Max, Daryl, Glenn, and Michonne would be stationed at various points around the house, especially the front and back gates. Merle was to sit at the storm cellar doors and Maggie at the top of the basement stairs. If they got overrun on top, someone would come to the entrance least infested with walkers to try to get those below out to the cars to run.

There had never been a herd this big and as Daryl silently watched them from his post at the back gate with Rick, he hoped that this plan would work.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carol sat in one of the recliners in the media room in the basement. The previous owner had wanted the room to be light-proof to best enjoy the clarity of the TV so there were no exterior windows. Therefore they were able to have a lantern on but they had to be ready to switch it off at any hint of trouble. Mostly everyone just sat looking worried but Carl and Beth were trying to keep Judith quiet by playing with some toys. However, it seemed like the little girl had an understanding of the gravity of the situation, that this hiding was not just for fun.

Carol's back and feet hurt. She ran her hands over her protruding stomach, feeling a series of kicks along her insides. Usually she liked feeling the baby kicking. Daryl seemed particularly enraptured when he'd put his hands on her and feel his child that way. However, right now it did nothing to relieve the stress of the moment.

Alex came over and settled down beside her. "How are you feeling?" he whispered.

"I am feeling huge and achy. This kid is kicking me all up and down," she answered him.

"Probably because you started moving around so quickly, disturbed him from his sleep," Alex smiled at her.

Carol smiled back then a little concern came on her face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Alex answered.

"I'm in my seventh month but I feel like I am as big as I was when I was almost full term with Sophia. Do you think that there could be something wrong? That the baby might be too big?" she asked with a worried look.

"Well, I had actually noticed that. I've got another theory. Would you mind lying on the floor and let me palpate you?"

"Hmm, not sure I'd be able to get back up," she said truthfully.

"I promise that if anything happens, I will have you on your feet in 2 seconds flat."

"Okay…" she said, not completely convinced but getting down to the floor anyway.

Alex carefully felt all along her abdomen, feeling the occasional kicking. Then he sat up and looked at her.

"Yep, I was right. You're having twins."

"What?! Twins? Oh God," she whispered as she sat up, leaning against the sofa next to her.

"It's actually fairly common in a woman your age to have twins. Before going into menopause, a lot of women have a huge fertile boost, ovulating more than one egg at once. Almost like a last hurrah," he informed her.

Carol was having a hard time dealing with this new information. It had taken her a while to wrap her head around one new baby but now two. Another burden.

Before she could comprehend it any further, they heard a thump on the storm cellar doors. Everyone gasped at the thought that they had been overrun.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Daryl hit the tiny female walker coming at him right between the eyes with his crossbow. She'd been faster than most of the others but still not fast enough. He saw Rick take down what looked like had been a teenage boy with his knife. A big walker missing his right arm came further at him and Daryl pulled his knife from his boot. He slammed it home through the weakened skull.

Unfortunately, the walker fell forwards, pushing him right onto the storm cellar door. He knew Merle was on the other end.

Michonne flew around the house, her katana out, and whacked the head off another walker. By then, Merle had the cracked the storm door to see what was going on. Daryl gave him a hold signal.

Glenn followed Michonne and whispered, "The herd has finished in the front of the house. No more are coming out of the woods."

Rick moved towards them, no more moving walkers in the yard. "We had a few break in to the back gate but they seem to have been at the tail end. Glenn, get up to the second floor with the binoculars and make sure that herd keeps moving away from us." Glenn nodded and ran into the house.

"I think our luck actually held this time," Rick breathed out a sigh of relief.


	11. Chapter 11

Warning: Pregnancy SMUT!

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 11**

Daryl was restless and very distracted. He was sitting on a stool off to the side in the game room, pretending to watch Maggie and Glenn face off at pool. He'd played against Rick earlier and had lost miserably, mainly because his head just wasn't in the game. Then Rick had been beaten by Maggie, which wasn't overly surprising since Maggie was really good.

His eyes kept flicking out the door, his seat having a perfect view of the upstairs hallway. Carol and Beth were in the second-floor bathroom, attempting to give Judith a bath. The little girl had simply decided one day that she was no longer going to take baths. Whereas it used to take just one person to give her a bath, they now needed a tag team to get the job done. Daryl couldn't help but chuckle a little when he'd heard her defiant screaming. However, that'd stopped a little while earlier so he figured the girl had finally given up, resigned to her fate of cleanliness.

Daryl fidgeted in his seat, eyes straying up to the hallway again. He wanted Carol. Badly. It had been over a week since he'd been intimate with his wife and he was craving her. He kind of felt like a drug addict going through withdraw. He didn't like it.

Granted, there had been that walker herd that moved through and everyone was scared that some of them had gotten through the defenses. They'd all been working hard to modify the walls and especially the gates, which were the most vulnerable. It had also been decided to increase the watch duty to 3 people at all time until it settled down. Nobody seemed to get free time these days.

Daryl was off the chair and up the stairs the second he saw Carol emerge from the bathroom. He got a few glances from those in the game room but then they turned their attention back to Glenn getting creamed by Maggie. Judith took off running and Beth followed after, throwing a thank you to Carol over her shoulder. She smiled a little shyly at him as he took her hand without a word and led her upstairs.

He closed the door quietly then gently pushed her back against it, his mouth capturing hers. At first they were sweet kisses but progressively got deeper, more aggressive. He was careful not to put too much pressure on her pregnant belly between them but he wanted her to know how much he needed her. She seemed to melt into him.

Breaking their kiss, he carefully guided her to the bed and laid her down. He pulled off her shoes and socks, toeing off his own boots at the same time. He laid his own body down on the bed alongside hers. Pulling up her shirt, which had been stretched tight over her abdomen, he fluttered kisses over one side and then down the other. Kissing both his babies.

Glancing back up at her, it looked like Carol was about to cry from his tenderness. That was not what he wanted so he shifted back up, fully kissing her again. She sucked his lower lip into her mouth, grazing it with her teeth. It forced a moan out of him. He could feel himself getting hard, throbbing.

He reached down and thumbed the button of her pants open. Suddenly, her hands stopped him. He looked up at her, confused. Not once had she denied him. Her face almost looked fearful.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, taking her hands. "What's wrong?"

"I- I can't," she stammered out. "Sex this late in pregnancy will hurt the babies." She looked like she was going to cry again.

Daryl was confused. She still had about two and a half months left to her pregnancy. He was definitely not an expert on sex with pregnant women but he worked for years at a car mechanics with a boss that would boost about sex with his pregnant wife all the time. The guy loved it and the bigger she was, the better for him. He was like a Born-Again or something so his wife always seemed to be pregnant. At the time, Daryl had been embarrassed by that kind of talk, trying hard to ignore it. He thought the guy was pretty perverted for wanting a pregnant woman. However, now that he had a beautiful wife heavy with his own babies, he could totally see the appeal.

"I know I don't know a lot about this stuff but I think you've got time before we gotta stop," he said gently.

"I'm scared," she said in a small voice.

"That's okay," he said reassuringly. "We don't have to go all the way. There's other stuff." He reached for her pants again.

"No," she cried. "I can't do anything."

He looked at her skeptically. "You think yur getting off would hurt the babies? There is no way that is true. Who told ya that?"

She looked away.

"Huh?" he pressed.

"I don't remember. I think I read it somewhere," she mumbled, still not meeting his eyes.

He knew exactly who told her that just by the way she was acting. Her bastard dead husband. Not only did he probably not want to touch her during her late pregnancy, he also didn't want her pleasuring herself. Sadistic asshole even denied her that simple pressure release.

"It doesn't matter," she said, wiping the tears away. Her face became set and calm as she said, "I love you and I'll take care of you." With that, she grabbed at his pants, getting them open before he could move.

She slipped her hand inside, grasping the length of him. He had started to soften during their off-putting exchange but with a few swipes along his shaft, he was right back to where he was.

She pulled him fully out from his pants and kissed his tip. Any arguments that might have been in his mind fully evaporated in a rush of desire. Her tongue swirled around the super-sensitive skin and he groaned loudly. Then her mouth was taking him in and his head lolled back. He couldn't help the movement of his hips thrusting into her but he tried restrain himself.

He felt his muscles clench up, the intense pleasure rolling up inside him. "I'm coming," he hissed through gritted teeth, trying to push her off him. She slapped his hand away, basically deep-throating him as he came.

He could not believe she had just side-swiped him with that.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Daryl was definitely outside his comfort zone. It had been about a month since Carol refused him and he could see the strain it was having on her. Usually she was her kind, upbeat, normal self but there had been some incidents of her snapping at people. Once Judith had escaped from the bath tub and proceeded to run right out the front door naked. It had been raining earlier and was muddy, which she rolled right into it. Instead of laughing it off and throwing her back into the tub like normal, she freaked out on Rick as he came to see what was going on. Snapped at him to bathe his own kid and threw a towel in his face. She apologized later and it was attributed to pregnancy hormones but Daryl didn't like seeing her like that.

He'd searched the entire library for a book about the subject but there were none. Any time he tried to talk with her about it, she either blew him off or she just blew him. He never thought in his whole life he would possibly think this but he wasn't going to settle for another blowjob. Last night had been the last straw.

He'd been coming down off the high when he could see her utter frustration. Her eyes had been closed but there were tears leaking out of them. Her breath had been coming in little pants. She'd been biting her bottom lip sharply and he'd been afraid she was going to split it open. Her hands had been balled into fists and pressed against her sides. He could see her thighs clenched tightly together.

"This is stupid," he'd growled out. "Let me help you."

"No!" she'd cried out in a frantic voice as he'd reached for her. Her eyes had snapped open at her own response, fear of his anger evident in them. He hated that look. Before he'd been able to respond, "Rub my feet!" had burst out of her.

He'd known it was an out she was offering him. A way for him to touch her and help a little without risking anything. Suppressing the anger that was more directed towards Ed than her, he'd shift his body down to her feet, massaging the left one first. She'd laid back on the bed and even though he could not see her face over her swollen midsection, he could hear her whimpering softly.

He'd switched to the other foot, giving it his full attention before he'd started kissing her ankle. He'd moved his kisses slowly upwards, to her calf, knee, lower thigh.

"Daryl, stop," she'd pleaded with him.

"I'm going to talk to Alex. I just can't stand to see you like this Carol. If he says it's okay, that it won't hurt the babies, will you listen to him?"

Carol thought for a few seconds and then had nodded that she would.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter was going to be longer but due to timing issues, I decided to split it two. May as well post what I've got. Therefore, you get a bonus chapter of smut!


	12. Chapter 12

Spoilers! So the season finale was pretty awesome. I can't believe I was actually half right with my prediction that Andrea was going to die. I really thought they would rescue her in time. Then again, this is TWD. I know some people are pissed by the lack of Caryl but there was actual physical contact between the two of them! And Carol didn't die like I was worried about! I am rejoicing. Hope you all like the continuation of the smut chapter. This story is starting to wind to close for real now.

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 12**

The day was absolutely miserable. Spring had just started making its presence known when the temperature suddenly plummeted. Then the rain clouds rolled in and opened the flood gates on them. Anyone who dared to go outside got completely soaked. Everyone was scattered in various places around the house.

Rick and Carl had gone down into the basement to work on a secret project. Through the winter, Carol had done a huge amount of cleaning out and sorting of all the boxes in the storage room and crawl space. In the far back, she'd come across three dismantled cribs from the previous resident children, two for the twin boys and one for the little girl. As she'd predicted, these people never got rid of anything. Rick and Carl were putting together 2 of the three cribs. It was kind of like Rick's way of thanking Carol for all her help with raising Judith and that he would be there to help with her little ones.

Michonne and Beth were the unlucky one out in the rain on watch duty. Shannon, who knew all about the secret project, was entertaining Judith in the kitchen. They had a bunch of coloring books with crayons along with some Barbie dolls. Glenn and Maggie had shut the door to their room and nobody really wanted to know what they were doing in there. Max was upstairs taking a nap, which he seemed to need more often since his head injury. Alex was with him but he had taken over the small sitting room off the master bedroom for all his medical texts and equipment. When the outbreaks had started, he'd snuck into his university library and stolen as many relevant books as he could grab.

Daryl, Carol and Merle were all in the library. Carol was laying on the sofa, reading Michael Crichton's Timeline. When Daryl had gotten a good look at just how swollen her feet were, he shoved a chair cushion underneath them. Merle was in one of the overstuffed chairs, reading Max Brooks' World War Z. Every so often he would chuckle or mutter about how different a zombie apocalypse was in reality.

Daryl was pacing around the room. It would appeared to any observer that he was scanning all the shelves, trying to find the perfect book to read. However, he was really trying to work up the nerve to go upstairs to talk with Alex. He wanted to find out for sure if that fucker Ed had been right or not, if Carol could stop torturing herself.

Merle looked up at him, annoyed. "Will you just get a book and sit your ass down!"

As if that was cue for him to make up his mind, he walked out of the room without a word. Carol and Merle looked at each other, each quirked a smile and went back to reading.

Daryl knocked quietly on the master bedroom door, knowing that Max was taking a nap. Alex cracked the door open and seeing it was Daryl, let him into the sitting room. Daryl was fidgeting, acting very nervous and Alex had a feeling about what he wanted. The two men were not close on a normal basis, not like Daryl was with Rick. It was most likely because of Shannon but Alex did not hold any jealousy or resentment against Daryl for her earlier attentions. It was all in the past.

"Can I talk to you about somethin'?" he whispered then turned his head across the room towards the bed where Max was sleeping.

"Don't worry about him; he sleeps like the dead," Alex paused at that expression. "Well, actually he sleeps way better than the dead now." Both men chuckled at that, breaking a little of the tension. "What can I do for you?"

Daryl's eyes darted about wildly, taking in the books and then darting to the door. "I don't wanna bother ya if yur busy…" he said uncertainly.

Alex had actually been doing research on difficult births. Not that he anticipated any problems with Carol's birth, especially since she had said her previous daughter's birth had been routine. However, she was older and twins can always present different challenges. He'd seen a few deliveries, including one with twins, which had gone great. Yet, the last one he'd watched had been a disaster. The baby had seemly gotten hung up on something and they had to do an emergency C-section. Baby ended up dying and they'd even almost lost the mother. Alex wanted to be prepared for anything, especially since there was no ambulance to call.

"No, it's no bother. You've got questions about the pregnancy?" he prodded gently.

"Well…um…like, can Carol have sex this late in her pregnancy?" Daryl's eyes were firmly planted on the floor now.

"How far until her due date? About a month and a half, right? Yeah, I'd say you two have another month to have fun. Just don't lay right on her, okay," Alex said, hoping to get a smile out of the man.

Daryl still looked nervous. "What about…if she…um, cums? Does that hurt the babies?"

"Orgasm? Nah, that doesn't make any difference to anything. Where'd you hear that?" Alex asked.

"Her dead husband told her that sex or orgasm in the last trimester would hurt the baby," Daryl said with a disgusted look on his face. "Guy was a fucking control freak and never wanted her to be happy."

"Sounds like a complete asshole. He was wrong. I'd probably stop the sex in about a month but you two can do other things. Things involving orgasms," he said with a smile.

Daryl actually seemed to relax a little. "So stop two weeks before she's due," he nodded to himself, working things out in his head. "After that, would I be, like hitting one of the kids in the head or something?"

"Ha!" Alex could not resist laughing out loud at that comment and was glad Daryl smiled a little too. "No, nothing like that. There have just been some studies that have shown that semen can induce contractions at the very end of pregnancy. Being that they are twins, we want them to stay in as long as possible for full development. However, if she goes late, you're going to have to man up and do whatever you can to get those contractions going."

Daryl actually turned a little red at that. Then, as if it was an afterthought, he asked, "Can I get this in writing?"

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

It was during dinner that Daryl passed Carol the note. They were sitting next to each other but she was talking with Glenn on the other side of her when he slipped it right into her hand. It made her feel like she was in high school and the cute guy she liked was telling her to meet him under the bleachers.

As soon as Glenn's attention turned to Maggie, she opened the note under the table, out of view of the others. She was surprised to see it was a prescription.

_Have fun! One more month._ It was signed by Dr. Alex.

Daryl had his eyes on her. She gave him a little shy smile and the slightest nod. The grin on his face made him look like a kid who just got the toy he always wanted. Or maybe the crossbow in Daryl's case.

It wasn't that she didn't want to believe him about being wrong. She was pretty sure he was right. But then she would flash back to her first pregnancy. She'd been so horny and Ed didn't want to touch her when she was pregnant. She had actually tried to seduce him, which was not something she had even done before or after that. He'd turned on her in anger, telling her that it would kill the baby. So she'd tried to take care of herself upstairs in the bathtub. He must have known what she was doing because he'd burst in on her (he'd removed the lock from the door at the beginning of their marriage). He'd grabbed her out of the tub and screamed in her face that by doing that, she was murdering their baby. Then he'd slapped her hard across the cheek. It had scared her badly. It had scared her so badly that she was even afraid of Daryl now, years later. She knew he would never hurt her or hurt their babies but that moment with Ed had scarred her.

Yet, the fact that he had actually gone to Alex and talked with him about such a sensitive subject showed her how much he loved her. Daryl must have been so uncomfortable but he did it. God, how she would have liked to have been invisible in that room to hear how that conversation went down.

Once dinner was over and everyone was drifting their own ways, Daryl was gently but firmly guiding his wife up the stairs. He just could not wait to get in their room. He pressed her against the door, kissing her passionately, his hands cupping her face.

"Hey, get a room," a surly voice said behind them. They broke apart.

Daryl sent Merle a dirty look but Carol just giggled.

"Maybe you should wear some ear plugs tonight, Merle," Carol teased him.

"Oh darlin', when you're singing, it's music to my ears. It's him I don't like hearing," he said, nodding towards Daryl.

"Shut the fuck up Merle," Daryl spat at him as Merle walked into his own room, laughing.

Carol reached behind her and opened their bedroom door, grabbing Daryl's shirt to drag him through the door. Then she slammed it shut behind him. He grabbed her again, kissing her deeply. His tongue explored her mouth and he sucked greedily on her lips. There had not been much kissing lately because she usually just jumped to the next step so as not to make herself suffer as much. Tonight he wanted this to last, to savor her.

He kissed down her jaw to her neck as she blew her warm breath in his ear. She was wearing a button-down shirt and he kissed her skin at each button he undid. On her chest, between her full breasts and down her swollen stomach. He laid her down on the bed, making sure she had a pillow under her head then kissing her again.

His hands went to her breasts. He absolutely loved her small breasts normally but her added fullness in pregnancy really was a turn-on. It was all her but even sexier. He kneaded them, his thumbs brushing across the nipples before his lips took over. She was already starting to moan wantonly.

Moving down to her pants, he flicked them open and whipped them with her underwear off her legs. He laid back down next to her, kissing her fully on the lips as his hand brushed over her core. Her body jerked and he could already tell that she was wet. His finger slipped in, swirling around her center. Her hips bucked up and a cry slipped through her lips. She was close.

He was just getting up to reposition himself when he felt her fingers wrap around his hardness. Quickly, he grabbed her wrist to stop her. "No, tonight is all about you."

He scooted her down so that her legs were off the bed, her body perched on the edge. Putting his body between her legs, he pulled them up around his waist. This way he was almost perpendicular to her. There was no way he was going to touch her abdomen. Using some supreme muscle control that he might feel in the morning, he brought himself down to be level with her.

As he slipped inside her warm, wet core, she moaned loudly again. She locked her legs together around him, drawing him even closer inside her. He blinked, trying to slow his breathing, not wanting to let go too soon. Tonight was about her. Gripping her thighs, he slowly began moving.

Her hips were coming up to meet him with each thrust and he could feel her pushing him to go faster, harder. The whimpering from her was getting louder and when she screamed, her inside walls squeezing down on him, he knew she was there. He let the heat take him as he came inside of her. He moaned loudly as he finished, which he did just for Merle.

He pulled out of her, gently setting her legs down. He kissed her stomach again, once on each side. She was panting but she looked more peaceful than she had for the last month.

"Thanks, I needed that," she said huskily to him.

Author's Note: Wow, that was long! Hope everyone liked it!


	13. Chapter 13

This is it, the final chapter, birth of the Dixon twins! Please note that I have absolutely no experience with the birth of human babies. Never done it myself and have never even been in a delivery room. Everything written here is for dramatic effect and may not be correct in a true medical setting. Enjoy!

The Walking Dead does not belong to me but I love those who it does belong to.

**Chapter 13**

Carol sat straight up in bed, her hands flying to her abdomen as the cramping pain moved through her. There was a hint of light peaking through the window, indicating it was very early morning. She bit her lip, trying not to make any sound and holding her body as still as possible so as not to wake Daryl next to her.

Didn't matter because he seemed to sense her distress, sitting up next to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

"I think I'm having a contraction," she answered in a tight voice.

"I'm getting Alex," he said as he started to climb out of bed.

"No." She grabbed his wrist to stop him. "It's only the first one and this could be a while. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"You gotta be kiddin'," he said, his voice sounding tense.

"Then just lay here with me. It's passed now," she said as she laid back down. He laid back down beside her then nudged her a little for her to lay on her side. He wrapped his body around hers. Both of their hands were on her abdomen.

They laid together like that for a while. The sun came up and shone brightly through the window. Every time she had a contraction, which were not too close together yet, he could feel her whole body tense and her breathing quicken. He didn't know what else to do for her so he would hold her hand and kiss her neck reassuringly.

After a couple hours, Carol stirred. "I really have to go to the bathroom," she stated.

For the past week, Carol had basically been restricted to her bed. It had gotten difficult for her to move and she got tired so easily. As much as she hated everyone waiting on her, she had accepted it gracefully. She did still have to get to the bathroom and the problem was that she could not get herself off the bed alone. Someone had to come pull her up. That's the part she hated the most because she felt like a total invalid. Even worse was that the babies were sitting right on her bladder so it made her have to go more often than normal.

Daryl easily pulled her off the bed and then walked behind her to the bathroom out in the hallway. He had his hands on her hips, as if waiting for her to fall, which she had not done yet. It was useless to argue with him over that when she needed to argue with him for permission to go to the bathroom alone.

"Please Daryl, I can do this myself. I promise to yell if anything happens," gently prodding him out the door.

He didn't look happy. "I hear anything I don't like and I'm comin' in. Do NOT lock this door!" he said roughly as he pulled it closed.

Carol rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dad," she muttered.

Once she was finished, she stood at the sink washing her hands. Looking at her reflection, she felt like she looked a little pale and old. How was she going to bring twins into this world? This dangerous, ruthless world? Then she thought of Daryl and everyone else living in the house with them. They were all so dedicated and ready to help. She smiled a little and it made her look younger, made her look like someone who could handle twins.

All of the sudden, something gushed below her. She yelped, thinking something was overflowing before she realized that her water broke. Daryl must have heard her because he came rushing through the door.

"What happened?" he asked, seeing her standing there with a puddle under her, her legs soaked.

"My water broke," she said simply and grabbed a towel, throwing it over the liquid. Not able to bend down, she used her foot to swipe the towel across the floor.

"Stop that! Yur not cleaning up now!" he said as he bodily moved her out to their bedroom. He got her back in the bed.

"This feels weird. I feel like I should be packing up to go the hospital," she pondered.

"Well, there ain't anymore of those," he muttered, wiping the excess fluid off her legs.

"Too bad," she said wistfully, staring off at the window. Then she looked right at him as he was adjusting the blanket over her body. "Hey, I need to know that you're going to be okay if I don't get through this."

He froze then seemed to relax a little. "Yur gonna be just fine. Nothing's gonna happen." He said it as if just that would make it true.

"I know," she answered. After a pause, she said, "But if I'm not, I need you to promise that you're going to be okay."

He stood up suddenly, his face angry and his fists clenching. She knew that he wanted to hit something but he'd gotten so much better at controlling his rage. The words just flooded out of him. "Stop talkin' like that! Yur gonna be fine! You have to be! I won't be okay if you die. I'll go crazy like Rick did with Lori. No, I'll die with you!"

"Hey!" she shouted at him, grabbing his forearm to bring him down to her level. She then wrapped her hands around his red face, making him look directly at her. "You listen to me, Daryl Dixon! You are not going to die with me. When I first met you back at the Atlanta camp, you were the scariest, most bad-ass redneck I'd ever seen. You may have softened up a little but you are still that man. You will survive. You have to survive. Promise me!"

He swallowed, his face looking miserable as he accepted what she was saying. "I promise," his voice cracked. She kissed him on the lips then let him go.

A knock at the door got their attention. Merle stuck his head in, a big smile on his face.

"Today the day?" he asked, excitement evident in his voice.

"Yep," Carol smiled at him and then he face twisted in pain. "In fact, I'm having a contraction right now," she gasped out. "Honey, can you go get Alex."

Daryl nodded and headed out of the room. Merle turned to follow him when he heard Carol behind him. "Merle, wait!"

He walked into the room, watching her features ease as the pain ebbed. She panted a little as she spoke.

"I need you to do something for me. If I don't make it through this, if I die or the babies die, I want you to put us down. I don't want Daryl doing it. I know it is a lot to ask of you but I don't want it on Daryl. Will you?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him.

Merle sat down on the edge of the bed. He picked up one of her hands and placed a soft kiss on it. "Anything for you darlin'. Daryl won't be in a good place if that happens but you know ol' Merle will have you covered."

Carol breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

Merle squeezed her hand and then let go, stepping away as Daryl and Alex came into the room. Carol could see they weren't alone as Maggie and Beth crowded in the doorway, Glenn and Rick evident behind them.

Alex turned back to the door. "I can't have all of you here while we're doing this. Only Daryl, Merle and Maggie can stay. And Carol, of course. Everyone else make yourself scarce and we'll find you if we need you." He motioned Maggie in and then shut the door. Everyone smiled a little when they heard Glenn mutter "Rude" behind the door.

"First off, let's see how far along we are." Alex laid Carol back and checked her cervix dilation. "Yep, 10 centimeters. We're ready. Carol, do you feel like pushing?" Carol, who was in the midst of another contraction, nodded vigorously. Alex turned to Daryl. "You don't really have a good headboard for her to push off of. Would it be cool if you got behind her?"

"Okay, how do you want me?" They sat Carol up and Daryl climbed in behind her so that when she sat back, she was between his legs, positioned against his body. He took both her hands in his as Alex positioned her legs correctly.

"Maggie, bring me those towels and get some clamps and scissors ready from my bag there. Okay, Carol, I want you to start pushing as hard as you can when you feel he next contraction hit," Alex told her. He was kind of nervous with this being his first delivery alone and no support staff but he was keeping it out of his voice. Daryl already looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel.

They did not have to wait long and Carol groaned loudly with both the effort of pushing and the pain. Through her panting, she mumbled, "God, I had an epidural last time. I could really use one of those right now."

"I see the head! You're doing great Carol. Keep pushing," Alex encouraged her, helping to ease the baby along.

Carol's cries got louder and more high-pitched as the pain hit her hard.

"Almost there. Just got to get the shoulders out," Alex said. Carol screamed then fell back against Daryl as the rest of the baby slid out of her. A wail filled the room, coming from the new little mouth.

"It's a boy!" Alex declared, wrapping him in a towel and passing him to Maggie who was standing beside him.

"A boy," Daryl said excitedly, turning to Carol. She looked so pale and tired but she still had a little smile on her face.

Alex made quick work of clamping the cord then handed Daryl the scissors. "Cut right here." Daryl looked unsure of himself but cut right between the clamps where Alex pointed.

A huge grin was on Daryl's face as he watched Maggie take the now quiet baby over to the dresser to clean him up. Merle was right beside her, completely fawning over his new nephew.

"Okay, Carol. That was easy, right? Just one more time," Alex said with a smile, trying to make her feel a little better.

"Easy for you maybe," Carol muttered, adjusting herself against Daryl again in anticipation of the next contraction. She looked over at the baby in Maggie's arms and smiled. Then the pain came again. She pushed.

"Here comes the head. Just keep pushing Carol."

Carol was whimpering from the pain and effort. Tears were running down her face.

"Wait! Stop pushing," Alex called out to her, a note of concern in his voice.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked anxiously. Merle came over and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Something's wrong. He's not progressing through. He might be caught on something." Alex looked up at Carol. "I'm sorry Carol but I've got to check. This is going to hurt."

"Do whatever you have to," she said through gritted teeth.

Alex eased his fingers around the baby's head, slipping his hand in further to try to determine why he wasn't moving forward. Carol screamed out in pain as the added strain from his hand caused her tissue to tear. Then her eyes rolled back into her head as she passed out, slumping backwards against Daryl.

"Carol? Carol?" Daryl called out to her frantically. She was so pale.

"Merle, check her pulse," Alex told him, his attention not wavering from the baby. He could see that Carol was still breathing.

Merle pressed his fingers against her throat. "Strong and steady, Doc."

Alex nodded. He was more concerned about getting this kid out alive. The thought of him turning made him work faster. "The cord is slung over his shoulder, trapping him. I have to get it off." He worked carefully, knowing that if he tore the umbilical cord without clamping it, Carol could lose a lot of blood quickly. Finally he was able to slip it off the shoulder and the baby practically popped out.

Carol was coming around. "Is he okay?" she whispered.

The baby seemed dazed and Alex gave a little smack across the back. The mouth opened and a loud cry came out. "It's actually a girl."

"Damn, you made yourself a set, didn't you little brother!" Merle cooed at his little niece.

Carol was starting to get a little color back in her face. She was smiling brighter at her newborns. "Daryl, go get one and give me one."

Daryl complied, tenderly laying her back on the pillows as he got up from behind her. He took his son from Maggie and brought him over to Carol. "Your second-born," he said as he handed the baby to her. It was sweet how he acknowledged Sophia that way. Then he took his daughter from Alex and cradled her next to Carol. "Your third-born."

"What are you going to name them?" Maggie asked.

Carol spoke. "We decided to name them after Herschel and Andrea. After what they did for us, sacrificing themselves to save us, they deserve to be remembered." Nodding down to the little boy, she said, "This is Hunter. And his sister is Amelia."

Maggie's eyes welled up with tears about their decision to honor her father this way. In a voice choked with emotion, she told them, "I know it won't be easy but we will give these children the best life. We're all in this together."

**The End**

What did everyone think? This was my very first multi-chapter fan fiction and I want to thank everyone who followed and/or favored this story. I especially want to thank crystal2817, vulgar shudder, laura, TWDlover, dixonrocks, bspooky3, Lisa876, LaurenEmilyxx, LampPostinWinter (is that a Narnia reference?), Jessie 33, Team-Sooric-Delena, Tigerlily xoxo, spygrrl99, FinntheHuman1697, crazstiz, iQueenOfTheZombies and guests for all the wonderful comments. They really kept me going!

I also love reading fan fiction so some really good one I recommend include "Echoes", "Graveyard Dirt and Salt", "Come What May", "A Heavy Cross", "Lady in Red", and "Something Else". There are many others that are awesome too.

I was actually toying around with an idea for another fan fiction. What would happen if Daryl ends up in a fever-induced coma and starts hallucinating about meeting Carol without the zombie apocalypse? The story would jump back and forth between reality at the prison and Daryl's hallucination. Sound any good? Anyone interested?


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